Should We Try To Match Laminate Flooring To Existing Hardwood? Good Questions

Q: My husband's parents are very kindly letting us move into their house (they live full-time elsewhere) and we're replacing the flooring. The upstairs already has beautiful oak hardwood and the downs

Q: My husband's parents are very kindly letting us move into their house (they live full-time elsewhere) and we're replacing the flooring. The upstairs already has beautiful oak hardwood and the downstairs is concrete so we will put down laminate flooring. Since the upstairs has light oak should we pick out laminate that is similar or would you suggest going a darker shade? I'm thinking about going darker but will that be too jarring since the staircases that connect the two floors will be the light wood?